Top 20 Biggest Video Game Time Wasters

It may have been a risk for Level-5 to jam-pack their RPG with gameplay reminiscent of Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Zelda, but that gamble resulted in a title that keeps gamers of all types obsessed. Initially only released in Japan, this engaging 3DS gem was only put onto Western shelves when a re-release added online multiplayer. With no pressure to follow the main storyline, you can freely explore the welcoming world of Reveria while pursuing mastery in the 12 life classes. Players felt the game’s value came in its open-endedness, arguing that the story didn’t fit the adorable, MMO-style core gameplay.

For a short period in 2014, productivity plummeted and procrastination skyrocketed as this number matching app took over phones and web browsers everywhere. Blending ridiculously simple sliding gameplay with an enticingly elusive end goal, the game’s developer reckoned that over 500 years of playtime had been spent in attempts to double up towards that mythical 2048 figure and beyond. This viral phenomenon has inevitably spawned hordes of its own imitators, even if it is itself an identified clone of the game “Threes!”.

In 2015, three years after Clash of Clans launched on the app store, developers Supercell were still receiving $1.5 million a day – a testament to the longevity of their freemium title. Millions of players were absorbed in an endless cycle of building, training and raiding alongside fellow clanspeople who have also reached the brink of tapping right through the screen of their device. Unlike other apps of this breed, players are given all sorts of reasons to keep plugging away as the surprisingly in-depth gameplay and dedication to your cute virtual community combine to make it deceptively hard to put this game down.

If you’ve scanned any review of this title you’ll have seen the comparisons to Minecraft – there’s mining and crafting what did you expect? But putting that aside, this 2D, procedurally generated survival game is the perfect alternative. It’s the freedom to survive in so many different ways that the two have in common: a range of offensive strategies are possible and you can feasibly repel zombies and slime from within a carefully constructed fortress.

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day and nor should you expect your all-dominant empire to exterminate every threat after a few hours of gameplay. Matches on Marathon mode can comfortably last for weeks as you meticulously study the map, micromanage individual tiles and plan minute war strategy. Yet, when 2050 AD rolls around and the game technically ends, you can still continue exploring, expanding, exploiting and exterminating to your heart’s content. Every civilization believes it will last forever, maybe your kingdom will actually be the first?

Once you’ve started life on your beautifully designed 16-bit farm, it won’t take long for you to start thinking about emulating your in-game avatar and abandon the corporate slog. While you routinely tend to your crops and livestock, the seasons will serenely slip by as every gentle note in the soundtrack produces a relaxed, mindful state of mind where you feel at home with the town and its inhabitants. Whether you get to know the deep backstory of every resident or opt for solitude with a fishing rod, pickaxe or watering can in hand, the game simply goes on as the player gets more and more immersed.

Theme parks are meant to evoke a sense of wonder that, as children, you’d never want to end. RCT gives you the power to not only match the magic of real-life parks, but eternally exceed it by creating the park of your dreams. Once you’ve crafted the perfect, snaking mega-coaster and the screams, ka-chings and barfs start rolling in, you’ll be hooked on the satisfaction of delivering precisely what your range of patrons demand. Even today its core formula has lost none of the addictive potency that reached its pinnacle in the Mega Park sandbox mode where nearly anything was possible - including deliberately disastrous attractions solely designed to trap your innocent, unwitting guests.

The world watched in awe as a game with such rudimentary flicking gameplay became the global cultural phenomenon of 2016. Hordes of would-be masters flooded the streets to catch and battle in this kind-of-but-not-really augmented reality game. With relatively limited depth and almost no actual gameplay mechanics, nobody would have ever guessed that even non Pokemon fans would have gotten so into it. The way the game got people outside can’t be faulted however, and, if players continue to safely get exercise while seeking a PokéStop, that can only be a good thing.

Whenever any new release features a combination of farming, RPG and social elements, it’ll inevitably be compared to this SNES classic. While it isn’t technically open-ended – you get 2.5 years to maintain your farm and get married – each of the 20 possible endings has such conflicting requirements that you’ll escape time and again into this peaceful world for a new experience. 20 years Before Stardew Valley began providing agriculture-themed relaxation, Harvest Moon was setting the standard in the 90s, striking that perfect balance between accessibility and depth. For even further replayability you can stay out well after 6pm doing chores and chatting to other bar-goers – just make sure your wife doesn’t get too upset by your late night antics.

Containing 18 quintillion planets, the universe to be discovered in Hello Games’ survival title is 3.75 times larger than our observable universe – if that isn’t big enough for you, no game experience ever will be. Complaints about the game on release were certainly justified, but with each new update, the game has become more and more incredible, with a ridiculous amount of things to do. Its scale is nearly unfathomable for us humans and, should you have the mental endurance, your journey will never end.

Who would have thought such a simply made game could become a phenomenon? The goal here is simply to guide your bird through a series of gaps between Mario-style pipes and build up a high score, gaining a whopping one point per pipe passed. While the game’s quality is questionable, its highly addictive nature certainly is not. In fact, the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, pulled it from distribution, apparently because of the guilt he felt over the game’s addictive nature. Whether or not this is true, or whether it was due to the questionable origin of a few of the in-game assets, remains unknown, but an endless barrage of knockoffs followed in its wake.

Like with every other game in the battle royale genre, the chances of you surviving and ranking number one are quite slim. You can spend a great amount of time gathering weapons and taking down other players, but that can all amount to nothing when you’re picked off by some random person hiding around the corner. You’ll find yourself lamenting the time you’ve wasted for a brief period, all before jumping right back in. It’s an endless cycle.

This pachinko-inspired title comes from PopCap, makers of dozens of gleefully addictive games, so you know it’s probably pretty good right there. The goal of this game is to launch balls into a field of blocks and destroy specific ones in a limited number of shots. Fun gameplay aside, Peggle’s true charm comes from its beautiful art and cartoony characters. These characters, or “Peggle Masters'' lend special abilities to the player. The special abilities and limited shots give Peggle a nice strategic hook, especially when ‘Ode to Joy’ starts playing in a burst of colorful rainbows.

When the original Animal Crossing was released in 2002 on the Gamecube, gamers were swept up in their new small town lives, collecting furniture, helping neighbors and expanding the museum. It was undeniable fun, but what makes New Horizons better than any in the series before it is the level of customization you have on the island, lending to a greater sense of freedom. Be warned that once you enter Animal Crossing, you may never leave, as many players have put hundreds of hours into this game.

Sure, SimCity might also be worthy of this list, but for that real digital crack, you have to get personal. Create virtual people, put them in a house, pre-made or of your own design, and then do what you want with them. You can help them achieve their dreams and aspirations, torture them, play matchmaker for them and see them get it on, or just let them act on their own if you’re boring. You could even cultivate an entire community of Sims, it’s all up to you. Oh, and there are plenty of expansions so, bring lots of money.

One of the most successful arcade games of all time, you guide the titular circle as he attempts to sate his endless hunger for pellets while dodging those pesky ghosts. Though the maze is the same every time, escalating difficulty keeps the game from getting stale. There have been multiple sequels and remakes of this game, notably Ms. Pac Man and Pac Man Championship Edition, but no matter the coat of paint it’s always worth playing… until the game crashes because you’ve gone too far.

As the premier “match 3” game, Bejeweled has created a massive legacy of puzzle games, both in its own sequels and in similar games, like infamous pay-wall nightmare Candy Crush. A typical game of Bejeweled lasts until there are no more moves to be made, but several new modes have been added to the series as it’s gone on. Perhaps the most popular is blitz, a competitive one-minute long race to achieve the best score possible. Turns out that even today high scores are still sufficient motivation to keep playing.

Whether it's playing the traditional survival mode, or letting your imagination take over in creative mode, the hours spent playing Minecraft know no boundaries. Build a shack, now build a house, now build a castle, now build an even bigger castle. Or, better yet, just dig a giant whole for 3 hours, listening to the soothing sound of the bricks popping. Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world, a sandbox that’s only limited by the player’s imagination. Just watch out for those creepers.

A huge enemy to office productivity for decades, this pack-in application for any Windows operating system has been relieving boredom for years. It may just be a simple recreation of the traditional card game, but that surely doesn’t stop it from sucking you in. By its nature, not all games are winnable so finally attaining that elusive victory is extremely satisfying. Dance you stupid cards, DANCE.

Sound familiar? Combining the Greek word “tetra”, meaning four, as all the game’s blocks have four pieces, and tennis, designer Alexey Pajitnov’s favorite sport, and you get “Tetris” the classic puzzler has been capturing players for generations, with its several seemingly endless list of ports and variants. What makes Tetris so great is its simple to pick up, but difficult-to-master line-building gameplay. There’s something meditative and zen-like to the cascading geometry, making Tetris a strangely satisfying experience. It's hard to think of another game that requires you to think while allowing you to shut your mind off at the same time, which is why it’s a timeless classic.